Burglar sentenced for robbing Kilburn home he was working on

A burglar has been sentenced at the Old Bailey after admitting stealing from a house he was helping to renovate.

Aaron Casey, 25, of Upper Edmonton, was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment, suspended for two years, having pleaded guilty to burglary at the same court.

He was also ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £100 and £800 towards prosecution costs.

On November 24 2014 the owners of a house undergoing renovation in Esmond Road, Kilburn, noticed muddy footprints in their bedroom, an area of the property not being worked on.

Casey was confronted by a fellow worker, who had brought him in on the job, about his reasoning for going into the bedroom. Casey said he thought he heard a delivery arrive and wanted to look out the window to see.

Later the same evening, after the workers had left the house, three watches and a MacBook were discovered missing from a wardrobe in the bedroom.

A warrant was executed at Casey’s home on Friday, 5 December 2014 where he was arrested after trying to hide from officers in a bathroom cupboard. None of the stolen property was found.

During interview Casey made up a story about a leak he was trying to clear up with towels taken from the bedroom of the property in Kilburn, the circumstances of which were subsequently disproved.

At court, before trial, Casey changed his plea from not guilty to guilty.

Investigating officer Detective Constable John Muir, Brent CID, said: “When workers are invited into your home, the last thing you would expect is for those people you are paying to steal from you.

This was a despicable crime for which Casey has received a custodial sentence, albeit suspended.”